Dueling pledges in Montana race

Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg has challenged Sen. Jon Tester to keep all out-of-state money out of their battle for the Senate seat, rejecting an earlier proposal from Tester that sought to limit third-party cash.

Rehberg on Friday sent his Democratic opponent a pledge that would force both candidates to refund contributions from any donor who is not a Montana resident, as well as contributions from any lobbyists and political action committees. It would prevent them from accepting such donations in the future, and would impose penalties on both campaigns for any ads supporting them run by outside groups.

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“Outside money and influence isn’t healthy for Montana’s elections,” Rehberg campaign manager Erik Iverson told reporters Friday. “This pledge makes this campaign by and about Montanans, and that’s the way it should be.”

Rehberg’s request makes for a bit of a pledge-off with Tester —- who had urged his Republican challenger earlier this week to accept a cease-fire on spending by super PACs and other third-party groups in the election.

That pledge appeared likely to favor Tester, who had raised more and had more cash on hand than Rehberg by the end of last year. And conservative super PACs appear to be winning the money race nationally, particularly after big cash hauls last year from groups like American Crossroads.

Rehberg accused Tester of hypocrisy after benefiting from outside groups spending big on his campaigns in 2006 and 2012, saying Tester’s “nascent concern is really a self-serving political ploy.”

Rehberg’s counter pledge, on the other hand, appears more likely to tip the scales in his favor.

As of December, Tester had raised $1.7 million from PACs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, compared to just $433,000 from PACs raised by Rehberg through the end of September.

And Tester is the top recipient of lobbyist cash in the Senate, according to CRP data.

Both candidates have raised most of their cash from out of state, according to CRP. About 70 percent of Tester’s donations from individuals came from outside of Montana, compared with 76 percent for Rehberg’s, according to data from September.

A Tester spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Montana proposals come after Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren reached an agreement last month in an effort to dissuade outside groups from pumping cash into the race in Massachusetts.